


Faster Than Light

by TDWidow



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Also some dead characters are alive again, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, And a Traitor, Dualla is a bitch, F/M, FTL jump, Gaeta is not evil, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Past Lee Adama/Anastasia Dualla, Pre-unfinished business, Season 3, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-06-05 12:31:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15170831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDWidow/pseuds/TDWidow
Summary: After a strange FTL jump, Kara Thrace wakes up in a world where everything is the same and also drastically different.





	1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> _Battlestar Galactica_ has always been one of my favorite shows, and I am a DEDICATED Apollo/Starbuck shipper. I also love Gaeta, despite what happens with him in later seasons. This story takes place in early season 3, after _Galactica_ leaves New Caprica but before "Unfinished Business." I had fun writing it - hope you enjoy!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing and no one.

Alarms rang through the bays and corridors of _Galactica_ , jarring Kara out of her nap. She sat up as much as she could in her bunk, prepared to run for her Viper at Gaeta’s announcement, but it didn’t come. Instead, over the comm came the order, “Prepare for jump!”

Groaning, she leaned back on her bunk and squeezed her eyes shut. After so much time being on the run constantly, she thought that she would have gotten used to the pinching, claustrophobic feeling that came just before FTL jumps. But every time it gave her the same sick feeling of panic.

Her bunk was small enough as it was, though in the hour it had been since Anders had left, it had felt empty. Usually Kara tried not to be in her bunk before jumps, but she just could not find the energy to get up. Instead, she kept her eyes shut and gritted her teeth.

It came as it always did. Just as soon as it came, it was gone, also like normal. But then heat suddenly rose around her and a searing white light blinded her even through her closed eyelids. She tried to cover her face with her hands, but it did nothing.

Just as she opened her mouth to scream, the light was gone and the temperature cooled back to normal. She lay in her bunk for a moment, willing her ragged breath under control. Once her heartrate had returned to normal, she opened her eyes again.

Panic came rushing over her anew. This was not her frakking bunk. She was in a double bed in a cabin that was much more spacious than her pilot’s quarters. A crib was half-hidden in the corner. “Leoban,” she whispered, her frantic pulse pounding in her ears. He must have done something; must have caught up with them somehow.

She had to escape. Nothing else mattered; not how she got there, not what happened during the jump, not even if _Galactica_ ’s crew was okay. She would never let that Cylon bastard hold her captive again.

When she leapt out of bed, she gazed coldly around the room. Those frakkers had gone through a lot of trouble to make it look like she was still on _Galactica_. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed a photograph framed on the nightstand and a uniform thrown over a chair. It looked an awful lot like –

“Kara?”

She spun toward the doorway and saw Lee coming toward her. “Lee?” she asked.

He crossed the room and hugged her. “I know jumps bother you. Are you okay?”

“Jumps?” she repeated.

Lee looked concerned. “Yeah, we just jumped clear of a nebula. You didn’t feel it?”

“I felt it.”

He walked over to the crib. “Looks like it woke someone up from her nap!”

Kara gasped. “Kasey?”

Lee held the blonde little girl, who was rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Hey baby girl,” he said softly. “Did you have good dreams?”

Kasey nodded and wrapped her arms around Lee’s neck. He grinned at Kara and said to the girl, “Want to go see Mommy?”

Shock, anger, and hope rose inside her in a strange mixture. “What happened to her real mother?” she asked as Lee handed her the child.

He frowned. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “You were in labor with her for 14 hours – I’d think that that was a memorable experience.”

She looked into Kasey’s eyes and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, of course.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Smiling at him, Kara nodded again. “I’m fine.”

She could tell that he was not convinced, but he just kissed her and said, “Okay. I have to get back to the CIC.”

“Okay.”

Lee gave her a smile that didn’t seem all that reassured, then left the cabin. With Kasey still in her arms, Kara sat on the bed. “I closed my eyes in my bunk and opened them in Lee’s bed,” she muttered. “And you’re my biological daughter.”

She shifted Kasey to sit on her other leg and caught sight of the gold wedding band on her left hand. “Good Gods, I’m married to Lee,” she said.

What about Anders? What about Dualla? What about that that, since she married Anders, Lee had refused to have anything to do with her?

Whatever had gone wrong during that last jump, so far the consequences didn’t seem that bad. Against her better judgment, she had already fallen in love with Kasey once. Even when she thought that the girl’s father was Leoban, she loved her. The fact that suddenly her biological father was Lee just made her more precious.

Kara had never been able to convince herself that she loved Anders after the night she slept with Lee on New Caprica. Being with Lee was unlike anyone she had ever been with, before or since. He loved her completely and understood her more than anyone else ever had. She hadn’t even loved Zak as much.

Something must have changed, she realized. Something after that night on New Caprica. She needed to find out what.

“Mama?” Kasey said, the smiled.

Kara hugged her. “Come on, Kasey. Let’s go find your daddy.”

Kasey’s smile widened into a grin that looked strangely like Lee’s. Kara kissed the top of her blonde head and stood up. As they stepped out into _Galactica_ ’s corridor and Kara closed the door behind them, she saw all of the familiar faces that she expected. Reluctantly, she found herself wondering what else she would discover had changed.


	2. Chapter II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you that some dead characters would be alive again!
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing and no one.

The CIC looked the same as she remembered it, but Kara was suspicious when she looked around. Not everyone who was supposed to be there was actually there.

Before she had time to ask anyone about it, Kasey squirmed delightedly in her arms and shrieked, “Papa!”

Admiral Adama grinned and took Kasey in his arms. “How’s my favorite girl?” he asked.

She looked at Kara. “Mama and I are walking.”

Adama glanced at Kara and smiled. “That’s nice, sweetheart. How are you, Kara?”

Kara was suddenly unsure of how to address him, so she just said, “Everything’s great, Admiral.”

Apparently that was wrong, because Adama frowned. “Admiral? Did I do something?”

She didn’t know how to explain that, so she said nothing. Kasey played happily with the epaulets on Adama’s uniform, oblivious to the confusion around her.

Kara needed something to focus on, so she started looking around CIC and searching for people she knew. Gaeta was at his station like he always was, but that haunted, stressed look that he had carried since almost being executed after New Caprica seemed to have disappeared.

Gaeta, though, was where the familiarity stopped. Tigh was not there – instead it looked like Lee was the XO. Dualla was also missing, through Kara couldn’t make herself care about that one.

She turned to watch Kasey nestled happily in Adama’s arms, and decided to seize the opportunity to comb every inch of the ship. No one was paying her any attention. She took a slow step backward.

“So Kara,” Adama said. She froze. “How is Hot Dog doing as CAG?”

She had to swallow both a gag and a laugh. Hot Dog was CAG? What kind of bizarro world did she fall into?

Adama was still waiting for an answer. “Uh,” she said, “He’s doing okay. Lots of responsibility, though. You know.”

Her answer seemed to satisfy him, but Lee was watching her out of the corner of his eye. Apparently in this reality, he still knew her well enough to tell when she was lying.

“In fact,” she continued, “could you watch Kasey for a little while? I was thinking I would go down to check in with him and the other pilots. See how Racetrack and Helo and everyone are doing without me.”

The CIC went silent. Even Kasey had stopped chattering. Frak, Kara thought. I’ve frakked up something major.

Adama had lost his fatherly smile. Wordlessly, he handed Kasey to Lee and took a heavy step toward Kara. “Major Adama,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.

At first she thought he was talking to Lee, even though he was glaring straight at her. After a minute she remembered that she had apparently married Lee and most likely had taken his last name. She swallowed a lump in her throat. She had always wanted to be an Adama.

Kara wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants. Whenever the Admiral used her rank, she knew that she had crossed a huge line.

But hey, in this reality, she was a Major. That was a plus.

Willing her voice not to tremble, she said, “Yes, Admiral?”

“Step into the hallway with me.”

Kara could feel the eyes of everyone in the CIC bearing down on her as she followed Adama toward the door. She tried to catch Lee’s eye, but he was the only one _not_ staring, instead gazing intently down at Kasey’s blonde head.

Once the CIC hatch sealed shut behind them, Adama said very softly, “Kara, tell me the truth.”

That would probably end badly, she thought. But she just nodded and said, “Of course, sir.”

He looked her dead in the eye and said, “Do you know the location of Captain Agathon?”

Helo was missing? “No sir,” she said.

“Do you know the location of Hera Agathon?”

Frak, Hera was missing too? “No sir.”

“And you know that to cover for or harbor Captain Agathon would be a criminal offense?”

What the frak was going on? “Yes sir.”

At first she wasn’t sure that he believed her. Adama, like Lee, could always seem to sense when she was lying. But this was not a lie – she honestly had no idea where Helo and Hera were in this frakked up universe – and finally Adama nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “I am willing to accept your mention of Captain Agathon as an honest mistake.”

She let out the breath that she did not know she had been holding, but Adama was not done. “But another slip-up,” he said, “and you will be brought in for official questioning. Daughter-in-law or no.”

Not to self, she thought. Don’t mention anything about anyone anywhere until you find out what the frak is happening.

She smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

He led her back into the CIC, where Kasey was perched on the board, delightedly irritating Gaeta by pushing the same button on every time he turned it off. Lee came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Everything okay?” he murmured in her ear.

She nodded. “Fine.”

Crossing to the board, she scooped Kasey up much to Gaeta’s relief. “Why don’t we stop torturing the Lieutenant, honey,” she said with a smirk.

Gaeta gave her a look, then turned to Adama. “Message while you were out, sir. The President’s son is on his way – should be landing now.”

Adama smiled. “Oh good.”

Kara frowned. “The President’s son?” she asked, softly enough so that only Lee could hear.

The door to the CIC slid open. “At attention!” Adama commanded.

With Kasey at her hip it was difficult, but she stood as straight and formal as possible. Two armed guards entered, followed by a man who must be the President’s son. Kara’s military pose faltered as she blinked dumbly at the man standing in front of her.

“Billy?”


	3. Chapter III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I broke my arm a month ago, and since this story hasn't been typed up yet, I wasn't able to post any of it. But more regular updates now!
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing and no one.

William Roslin, as he was now called, had come to _Galactica_ to bring Adama a message from President Roslin. Kara now knew better than to ask questions, but through the CIC’s welcome, she was able to figure out that Roslin had adopted him after his family had been killed during his attack on the colonies. As the President’s son, Kara figured that he never had the opportunity to get mixed up with Dualla and therefore avoided his death.

Her happy shock at seeing him alive was cut short by the realization that Roslin was not there herself because she was too sick to make the journey from _Colonial One_. The cancer was back.

Adama and Billy (there was no way that she was going to think of him as William) had gone back to the Admiral’s quarters, probably for Adam to get a truthful update on the President’s condition. Kara stood there for a moment, knowing that she needed answers and not having a clue how to get them.

She could not ask Lee any questions. She really could not ask anyone any questions. The last thing she needed was to be locked in the brig or held hostage by Doc Cottle for being crazy. Helo and Hera were MIA, Roslin was sick, Billy was alive and the First Son, and Adama, Lee, and Gaeta seemed to be normal. What about everyone else?

She shifted Kasey to her other hip and walked over to Gaeta’s station. “Lieutenant,” she said softly.

He looked up at her, apparently not sure why they were whispering. “Major?” he whispered back.

“I need to see the ship’s logs,” she said quickly. “I, uh, was plotting the jumps that we’ve taken since New Caprica, trying to make a map and I missed a couple.” It was a weak story. Kara Thrace would never care enough to make a map like that. Hopefully Gaeta would think that Kara Adama might.

He looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but nodded. He reached for a key ring at his belt and gave it to her by a single silver key. “This one gets you into the log room.” Then with a slightly fearful look, he added, “Do you want me to watch your daughter for you?”

Kara looked between Kasey hungrily eyeing the buttons on the console and Gaeta’s fear for his station. She swallowed a laugh. “No, I’ll take her with me. Thanks for the offer, though.”

He looked relieved. Kara slipped out of the CIC while Lee was not looking and headed down the hall.

The log room was aft of the CIC. Kara unlocked the door and set Kasey on the floor. After unclipping any keys with sharp points, she gave her delighted daughter Gaeta’s keyring to play with.

The first logs that she checked corroborated her own memories. The Twelve Colonies of Kobol were destroyed and they had barely escaped alive. She had figured that was the case, since were still on _Galactica_ in deep space, but she was doubting everything now. Why would the gods create this weird alternate reality where their people were still running for their lives?

She tried to find where history had veered off course, but the log turned out to be nothing but an endless list of times and jump coordinates. Of course, she told herself irritably. That was the point of the ship’s log. She was about to slam the last drawer closed when she noticed that the last collapsible folder was not marked with a date like the others.

Reaching deep into the cabinet, she wrestled the heavy file out. Chills raced down her spine when she saw that the label on the tab read “Casualties.” She had wanted to find out what happened to the life she remembered, but she didn’t want to do it by reading a list of dead people.

She felt a tiny hand on her leg. Kasey had gotten bored of Gaeta’s keys and come to join her. Kara swallowed nervously. “Do you want to read with Mommy?”

Kasey smiled and Kara dragged a dusty chair out of the corner. Together they saw down, Kasey sharing her mother’s lap with the folder.

There was not much information – only name and description and date of death. She started with the As, noticing that although Helo and Hera were missing, they were not listed as war casualties. Two names did jump out at her, and her breath caught in her throat.

“Anders, Samuel T., killed during the Battle of New Caprica. Anders, Louann (née Katraine), killed during the Battle of New Caprica.”

They were married and they were dead. The next entry, “Baltar, Gaius,” was followed by the notation, “captured during the Battle of New Caprica.”

Kara slapped the folder shut, unwilling to continue. Kat had never been her favorite pilot (and she had to admit that it made her a little jealous to know that Kat had married her former husband) and she had never seen Baltar as more than a good one-night stand and a toaster-loving traitor, but reading that they were gone was still upsetting. Baltar may have been a bastard, but Kara wouldn’t wish Cylon captivity on anyone.

There had never been a Battle of New Caprica as she remembered it, only an evacuation. Here there was a battle. Maybe she had never been held captive at all. If she had married Lee and Lee was the XO, then they never would have moved planetside. Despite the file of death she held on her lap, she smiled.

She stuffed the file back in the last cabinet and relocked the log room. Just to see the look on Gaeta’s face, she handed the keys to Kasey to give to him. It amused her to see how frightened the Lieutenant was of a toddler.

The official timekeeper in the CIC told her that it was late evening. Lee came to her side. “Almost bedtime for some little girls,” he said.

Kara smiled as Kasey shook her head vehemently. “I’ll take her back,” she said.

Lee nodded, then kissed her. “I’ll be home soon.”

She took one last look around the CIC. Gaeta caught her eye for a moment, then quickly looked away. She frowned and hurried out of the CIC.


	4. Chapter IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated closer to M, due to a bit of Kara and Lee lovin'. Enjoy!
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing and no one from Battlestar. Though I would not kick Lee out of bed. #justsayin

Kara was already in bed when Lee came home. She listened to him quietly moving around the bedroom, then felt the bed shift as he slid under the covers behind her. He pressed his naked body to her and whispered, “Hey.”

She rolled over to face him. “Hey yourself.”

He kissed her, sliding his hands under her shirt. She froze when she felt him run his fingertips across her nipples, gasping in surprise. Then she remembered again that they were married. They probably frakked every night.

She rolled closer to him, throwing her leg over his hips. Straddling him, she could feel his erection between her legs. She kept her eyes on his as she pulled her shirt off.

Lee rolled her back over and pinned her to the bed. He kissed her neck, trailed his mouth down to her breasts, and sucked as he pulled off her underwear.

And then he was inside her, like it was the most naturally thing in the worlds. Gods, _Lee_ was inside of her. She had been wanting this every night since that one night on New Caprica. And it felt frakking amazing. She felt every move of him inside her, strong and hard and filling her every inch. “Gods, Lee,” she panted. “Frak me harder!”

He obliged. Sex with Lee was so much better than she remembered. She came with a cry. Lee buried his face in her shoulder, coming as he cried her name.

They stayed entwined and Kara fell asleep with Lee still on top of her.

She awoke hours later in the dark. Propping herself up on one elbow, she watched the rise and fall of Lee’s chest as he slept and gazed around the cabin that was somehow theirs.

This was not the reality that she knew, but maybe this was the one that should have been. She was married to the love of her life. They had a beautiful daughter. Why would she ever go back to the world where she as so unhappy?

But the oft-buried moral part of her kept reminding her – it’s better for you, but not everyone. Certainly not Anders or Kat or Baltar. What about other people you know? People who you love? If Helo and Hera are gone, what happened to Athena?

The logs had given her nothing. As she lay awake beside her sleeping husband, Kara tried to think of other places where she could find information. There was one place that she knew she could look, but it was a huge risk.

Admiral Adama had been keeping a diary for as long as she had known him. She had never seen its contents, but she had no doubt that it would give her more answers than the Admiral himself would give.

If she got caught, she knew that she would be completely frakked. It made no difference that she was his daughter-in-law. As far as she knew, not even Lee knew what Adama wrote about at night.

It was crazy to even think about trying to get a look at Adama’s journal, but she was nothing if not crazy. If she did not get answers, she would actually lose her mind. As she snuggled deeper into Lee’s embrace and drifted back to sleep, she imagined ways to get into Adama’s private office.

Lee was up and ready for the day before she had even fully awoken. He kissed her forehead and told her that he would be in the CIC if she needed him. She mumbled okay and heard him say goodbye to Kacey and leave.

When she finally sat up in bed, she suddenly wondered exactly what she did all day. Everyone still saluted her and referred to her as Major, so she obviously hadn’t resigned her commission, but if she wasn’t a pilot, what was her job?

First thing in the morning before coffee was not the time to think about such things. As she got herself and Kacey clean and dressed, she mused on her midnight idea. At some point, the idea had mutated into a plan.

She caught Admiral Adama just outside of the CIC. He looked surprised when he saw her. “Good morning, Kara.”

“Good morning,” she replied. She still wasn’t sure what she was supposed to call him, so she left it at that. “I have a favor to ask, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

“Could you watch Kacey for me for a little while?” she asked. “I have errand to run and I know that Lee is just so busy.”

Adama’s eyes lit up and he held out his arms. “I always have time for my little girl!” Kacey grinned and lunged for her grandfather’s arms. Adama looked back up at Kara. “Do you need a Raptor or a Viper?”

“Oh no, it’s an on-ship errand.”

Most of Adama’s attention had shifted to Kacey. “You know where to find us when you’re done.”

She nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

Adama took Kacey into the CIC and Kara took off down the hall. The lift tubes were visible from the CIC’s windows, so she took one up to the next level then doubled back down the stairs.

There was no surveillance outside of Adama’s quarters. Kara was lucky enough to find the corridor empty. She tried the door. Locked.

“Frak,” she swore. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

She jiggled the door handle and got nothing. She pried the pin out of her uniform’s belt and tried to pick the lock. Again, the door stayed closed. She glanced at the backup passcode pad on the wall and punched in Lee’s birthday. The machine squawked an angry no.

Zak’s birthday, Zak’s date of death, her birthday, and Roslin’s birthday all came up with nothing. There was a sinking in her stomach and a lump in her throat as she realized that if the code was Kacey’s birthday or her and Lee’s anniversary, she had no idea what they were.

Kara forced herself to focus. The passcode would have been set when Adama first began living on _Galactica_ way before she and Lee were even together. What would have been important to him back then?

And then it came to her. She punched in 6-8-4-2-9-3 – Zak’s pilot ID – and the door slid open.

The sounds of the ship faded away as the door closed behind her. Careful to put everything back exactly as she found it, she started rifling through desk drawers.

The journal was in the fourth drawn down. It was a plain brown leather book half-filled with Adama’s tiny writing. Kara took the book and sat down in the edge of an armchair.

It felt like a terrible betrayal to read her father-in-law’s private writings, but she just kept telling herself that she had no other choice. She flipped through the pages, trying to orient herself to their timeline, past the attacks on the colonies to where she hoped to find differences.

It was sometime after Boomer had turned on them and shot Adama that Kara found the first real shocking information.

_We found out today who helped the Cylon agent aboard the ship, but I can’t bring myself to believe that Dualla would do such a thing. Dee has been working against us the whole time. There’s no choice but to imprison her, but it breaks my heart to sign her treason order._

A treason order meant that Dualla had been sentenced to execution. Kara hated Dualla and made no secret of it, but she never once wished for her to be executed.

And why would Dualla help Boomer? Kara turned back to the book.

_The half-Cylon baby’s blood cured Laura’s cancer just like Dr. Baltar said it would. We’ve put the Cylon mother in captivity, but before we could remove Hera, her father fled with her. Frakking fool – that baby will die without proper care._

Oh Gods. Adama had locked up Athena? No wonder Helo ran with the baby. She took a moment to list the people she knew who were not part of the fleet in this world – Helo, Hera, Athena, Kat, Anders, Dee, Baltar. Too many.

Against her better judgment, she was curious about the Battle of New Caprica, so she flipped forward. Apparently in this reality, _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ had not run. This battle had destroyed the colony completely and the Cylons had managed to take several prisoners, including Baltar and Colonel Tigh.

Kara put the book back in the drawer. She had read enough. She was tired of learning of terrible things that had happened. She wanted her daughter and her husband. As she left Adama’s quarters, she told herself over and over that her family was worth the price.


	5. Chapter V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Here, Kara gets at least a few answers and finds an ally.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing. But I wouldn't kick Lee Adama out of bed. #justsayin

That night, Kara couldn’t sleep. She rolled from one side to the other, trying to find a comfortable position, until Lee finally woke up and asked if she wanted him to sleep on the couch. “Of course not,” she said. “I just need to go for a walk.”

Lee sat up, fully awake, and frowned. “Kara, it’s the middle of the night.”

Guilt surged up in her throat. How did she deserve to be lucky enough that Lee was still a part of this world? So many people’s lives were ruined, but here was Lee with her, in their bed, concerned because she couldn’t sleep. She smiled and leaned over to kiss him. He slid closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her toward his lap. Kara laughed, her lips still trapped by his, and wriggled away. “Go back to sleep, sir,” she said with a wink, and slid out of bed.

“You’re going to owe me in the morning, Major,” Lee replied, smirking.

Kara wrapped herself in a robe and let herself out into the corridor. _Galactica_ was quiet. The ship’s chronometer was still set to Caprica time – it always had been, since the attacks so long ago – even though night and day were non-existent in deep space. Kara tried to tell herself that she was wandering aimlessly, but in truth she new that she would end up below decks in the brig.

She had to pull rank on the guard in order to gain access to the high security cells. Dualla was awake when Kara approached the cluster of barred cells. “Major Adama,” Dualla said evenly. “Surprised to see you at this hour.” She smirked. “I see you even dressed for the occasion.”

Kara pulled the edges of her robe tighter around her and cursed herself for being so mindless. “You should talk.”

Dualla didn’t rise to the jibe, not even glancing down at the stained and torn remnants of her uniform. “To what do I owe this visit?”

Kara paced slowly in front of Dualla’s cell. “I guess I’m just trying to understand.”

Dualla’s eye’s narrowed. “Understand what?”

“Why you betrayed us to the Cylons,” Kara said. “Why in the Gods’ names would you help toasters infiltrate our ship? Our home?”

The other woman lay back on her cot and stared at the ceiling. “I’ve already given my statement,” she said. “I have nothing more to say.”

“Well I want to hear it again.” Kara felt her temper flaring up and gritted her teeth to keep it in check. “I want to know how you could help a frakking Cylon agent shoot the Commander!”

The door to the cell block opened and the guard came in. “I’m going to have to ask you to lower your voice, sir,” he said.

Regaining her poise, Kara muttered, “Sorry.”

Dualla had sat up again and was glaring daggers. “I had nothing to do with that bitch,” she spat. “I would never do anything to harm the Commander!”

Kara frowned, a chill tickling the back of her neck. “If you weren’t locked up for helping Boomer, then who?”

“Me.”

Kara turned to hear right and peered through the dimmed lights. It was a female voice that had spoken, but not D’Anna or Sharon or the Six. The olive-skinned woman walked right up to the bars and leaned her forearms on the horizontal beams. “So nice of you to visit us, Major.”

Kara frowned. The woman was familiar, but she was not a member of _Galactica_ and it took a moment to place her. “Tory, isn’t it?”

Tory smirked and suddenly Kara placed her. She turned back on Dualla. “You helped a Cylon get close to the frakking _President of the Colonies_?” Disgust felt like bile in the back of her throat. “You deserve the treason order.”

“She’s not a real leader!” Dualla snapped. “I was doing what I could to help the fate of the Colonies.”

Another voice chimed in, from deep in the dark corners of another cell. “Keep telling yourself that,” it said.

This one, Kara knew. She approached the cell, afraid of what she was inevitably going to see. “Sharon?” she asked quietly.

Sharon Valerii, tired and filthy and listless, looked up from where she was curled up on a dirty cot. “Hello, Starbuck.”

Kara swallowed. “Are you okay?” she asked lamely.

Sharon laughed dryly. “Wonderful.”

An awkward silence fell between the three prisoners and Kara. Just as Kara turned on her heel and headed back toward the door, she heard Dualla say, “Tell Lee I said hello.”

Her temper snapped and Kara leapt at the bars of the cell. The guard burst in, dragged her back, and forced her out of the high security block.

A baby’s cry echoed out of the hanger bay and irritated her even more. As Kara passed the open bay door, she could see Cally Tyrol working on a Viper engine with Nicky wailing beside her. “Gods, can’t you shut him up?” she snapped. “Why is he even down here? Leave him with the Chief for frak’s sake?”

Cally looked like Kara had hit her in the head with a hammer, but Kara continued down the corridor without thinking more on it. She didn’t care what Cally’s problem was, to be honest; she had more important things to worry about. But once she was a few paces past the hanger, she heard a voice behind her. “The Chief is missing.”

It was Gaeta. She narrowed her eyes. “Have you been following me?”

“I saw you on the monitor in the brig,” he said. “Figured you wanted answers.”

“I don’t need answers to anything,” she said quickly, and turned to leave. “Leave me alone.”

“You were held captive on New Caprica,” Gaeta said to her back. She froze. “By Leoban,” he continued. “I worked for Baltar. You and the rest of the resistance almost tossed me out an airlock. You married Anders, even though you’re really in love with Lee, and Tigh lost his eye.”

She turned around and stared at him, too shocked to speak. “Do you want to hear more?” he asked dryly.

“I have access to all of the files, so I know what’s going on,” Gaeta said. “But I remember, Starbuck. I remember everything.”


	6. Chapter VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that in BSG-land, all officers are called "sir," regardless of male or female.
> 
> Short R-rated bit at the end, because I love me some Kara/Lee sexiness.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing from BSG, unfortunately.

Kara followed Gaeta back to his quarters, figuring it was the only place that they could speak without being overheard. As she followed him down unfamiliar corridors, she realized that she had never seen where the Lieutenant lived.

Gaeta cleared off a chair. “Sit down, Major.”

She did, uncomfortably. “Gods, Gaeta, don’t use rank. Not now. You know it’s not real.”

He shrugged and sat down across from her. “What have you figured out so far?”

“I’m married to Lee,” she began.

Smirking, Gaeta said, “I bet that one didn’t take long to figure out.”

She glared at him and continued. “He’s the XO because Tigh was captured by the Cylons at New Caprica along with Baltar.” After a minute, she added softly, “Anders and Kat were killed.

“President Roslin adopted Billy right after the destruction of the Colonies, which I’m assuming prevented him from getting involved with Dualla.”

Gaeta’s expression darkened. “That’s true. That’s why he’s still alive.”

Coldly, Kara added, “And now Dualla’s in the brig for helping a skinjob get near the President.”

Gaeta nodded. “That’s right.”

Sadly, Kara finished by saying, “Helo took Hera and went AWOL after what the Admiral did to Athena. Have you see her? She’s not even the same person.”

“She’s not Athena here,” Gaeta said quietly.

“I know.” Kara was quiet for a minute, then grimaced and said, “And Hot Dog is CAG.”

That got Gaeta to laugh. “And apparently doing a good job.”

As funny as it was to picture Hot Dog in charge of anything, there were more important things to focus on. “Your turn,” Kara said.

Gaeta nodded. “We know that there are twelve Cylon models, right? The Six told Balta that on Caprica.”

“If you believe her,” Kara muttered.

“Everything else she told him has proven to be true,” Gaeta said. “Even in this reality, twelve models is an accepted fact.”

“Fine,” she said.

“So think about how many models we’ve seen.”

Kara counted them off on her figners. “The Sixes, the Sharons, the D’Annas, the Leobans, the Dorals, the black doctors who held me prisoner on Caprica.”

“And the Cavills,” he finished.

“Seven,” Kara said. “Only seven.”

Nodding, Gaeta said, “That’s right. But during this version of the Battle of New Caprica, we received a transmission from one of the Sixes. She calls herself Caprica Six – apparently she’s the same one who was with Baltar on Caprica originally.”

Kara snorted. “Charming.”

“She told us that the D’Anna model had been boxed – completed decommissioned – and there was no one else to turn to. She was, quote, ‘putting the Cylons’ future in our hands.’”

Kara frowned. “Why the frak would she do that? And, why do we care?”

Gaeta shrugged. “She felt that she had to tell someone, I guess. She told us of the existence of the Final Five.”

Scoffing, she said, “What, the toasters have some magical god models?”

He nodded. “Apparently so. The others were programmed never to even think of the last five models, because they’ve deeply infiltrated the fleet. One of the D’Annas saw their faces in a vision and told Caprica Six, who then gave us Tory as one of them as a sign of good faith.”

Gaeta clenched his fist, pressing it down against the armrest. “And then we found out that Dee had been helping Tory all along.”

“Bitch,” Kara spat.

“Once we exposed Tory, she gave up three of the other four,” Gaeta said.

“Oh?” She perked up. “Who are they?”

Reluctantly, he said, “Colonel Tigh was one. That’s why the Old Man never tried to rescue him.”

“You’re frakking kidding me.”

He shook his head. “The Chief was another. He heard that they were coming to lock him up and escaped into the ship’s service tunnels. That was four months ago.”

She felt sick. “There’s no way he’s still alive.” Gaeta shook his head. Kara clenched her teeth against a wave of nausea, then asked, “That’s only two. Who else did she name?”

Looking intently at the floor by his feet, Gaeta muttered, “Anders.”

She felt like someone had kicked her in the chest. “That’s not possible,” she whispered. She had been married to him – she knew him better than anyone. Sam Anders hated the Cylons more violently than anyone she knew. He couldn’t be a skinjob. There was no frakking way.

“He was already dead, so it didn’t really matter,” Gaeta was saying. “But you deserve to know.”

She was afraid if she tried to speak, she would be sick. She just nodded. Then she was suddenly starkly aware that she was still only wearing a robe. Feeling really frakking stupid, she yanked it even tighter around her and stood up. “I have to go.”

He followed her to the door. “I’m sorry, Major,” he said.

Kara paused halfway out the door and turned around. “Lieutenant, will you do something for me?”

“Of course, sir.”

She hated so much that she had to ask. “I don’t know what Lee’s and my anniversary is,” she mumbled. “Or what day Kacey was bor. Could you – ”

Gaeta nodded. “Of course. I’ll let you know first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled. “Good night, Major.”

Kara ran back to her own room. Lee was pacing around the room, a robe flapping around him as he moved. When the door opened, he jerked to a stop and stared at her. “Where have you been?” he demanded. “It’s been over an hour.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Lee sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

Kara pushed the door shut behind her and crossed to him in two strides. “Frak me,” she whispered, and then kissed him.

He resisted at first, trying to push her back to arm’s length. “It’s the middle of the night, Kara.”

She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his underwear and pushed it down to his ankles. “I don’t care.”

Whatever little resolve Lee had evaporated as quickly as his cock got hard. Kicking his underwear off, he took Kara by the arms and pushed her down onto the bed. She raked her nails along his back when he entered her, savoring every second of feeling him inside her. They fell asleep naked on top of the blankets.


End file.
